Filling machine and method of filling containers



Oct. 23,1934. J W E 1,978,002

FILLING MACHINE AND METHOD OF FILLING CONTAINERS Filed.Apri1 17. 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR Oct. 23, 1934. J WEAVER 1,978,002

FILLING MACHINE AND METHOD OF FILLING CONTAINERS Filed Apri1 17, 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 J. E. WEAVER Oct. 23, 1934.

FILLING MACHINE AND METHOD OF FILLING CONTAINERS SSheetS-Sheet s FiledApril 17 1951 62%YENTO/R Oct. 23, 1934. J. E. WEAVER 1,978,002

FILLING MACHINE AND METHOD OF FILLING CONTAINERS Fi1ed.April 1'7, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Oct. 23, 1934. J E. WEAVER 1,978,002

FILLING MACHINE AND METHOD OF FILLING CONTAINERS Filed.April 17, 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR 15, 1922, there is disclosed Patented 0a. 23, .1934

mums moms annmiirnop or mama con'rsmsns Jesse a. Weaver, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignor to Horlx Manufacturing Company, Pittsburgh,

Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application April 11, 1931, Serial No. 530,810

' 1': Claims. or. 220-116),

The present invention relates broadly to container filling machines and methods of filling such containers, and more particularly to an improved construction applicable to machines of '6 the rotary type and cooperating with the vent tubes whereby the filling operation may be expedited. I

In the filling of bottles with certain substances, it is customary to provide a filling head having incorporated therein a vent tube by means of which the air displaced from the bottle during 1 v the filling operationmay be permitted to more readily escape. With such structures it not'lnfrequently happens that the vent tube will become entirely or partially clogged with the material being fed into the containers, so that it is desirable to effect a cleaning of the vent tube at a suitable time during the filling operation. In the patent to Heller No. 1,425,960 of August one structure for this pu po e It is also desirable in the filling of containers with certain liquids to effect what is ordinarily termed a vacuum filling operation, such operation including the step of evacuating the container simultaneously with or during at least part of the filling operation. After such a vacuum filling operation, it is desirable to relieve the vacuum and continuejthe filling by gravity. A structure such as disclosed in the Haller patent, while adaptable for such purpose, is objectionable at times for the reason that the evacuating operation frequently sucks material upwardly from the container. With such a construction effective provision for such withdrawn material not provided.

The present invention has for another of its objects the provision of such a structure that it may be efiectively utilized for vacuum filling purposes.

In other cases it is desirable to effect filling by employing an initial pressure effective for cleaning certain parts of the apparatus, then relieve the pressure and effect filling by gravity, after which a final pressure application may or may not be employed. In still other cases it is desirable to effect filling under conditions of an initial pressure effective for cleaning followed by a vacuum to facilitate flow of contents'into the container being filled, and then complete the filling by gravity. The present invention provides an apparatus effective for carrying out any of these characteristic operations:

In the accompanying drawings, which are largely diagrammatic, and based somewhat on a machine of the character shown in the patent referred to, there is illustrated a preferred embodiment of the invention. In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in section of a rotary'bottle filling machine; so

Figure 2 is a top planv view of the machine illustrated in Figure 1, the cover being removed. and the view being on a larger scale;

Figure 3 is a detail sectional view, on an enlargedscale through a portion of the mechanism:

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view on the line IV-IV of Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows, the section being on an enlarged scale;

Figure 5 is an inverted plan view of the exhausting or pressure applying manifold;

Figure 6 is a bottom plan view of the slide valve 7 cooperating therewith; i

Figure '7 is a detail sectional view along the line VII-VII of Figure 5;

Figure 8 is an inverted plan view of the manifold in cooperation with a shoe providing for connecting the chambers of the manifold successively to pressure and vacuum; and

Figure 9 is a detafl sectional view along the so A line IX--IX of Fig. 8. r

Referring more particularly to Figure 1 of the drawings, there is illustrated a portion of a rdtary filling machine including a base pedestal 2 within which is iournaled a shaft 3, carrying at its upper end a tank 4. Also supported by the shaft for rotation therewith is a downwardly inclined guard and cover plate 5 adapted to be ro tated in any desired manner. Extending through the guard are bottle support rods 6 carrying at their upper ends bottle supports 7, which bottle supports are held against individual rotational movement by supplemental guides 8. The vertical position of the tank 4 is adjustable with respect to the base 2 by means of an elevating mechanism 9 whereby an adjustment may be made to accommodate the machine to bottles 10 of different heights.

The supporting rods 6 at their lower ends cooperate with a suitable cam track, (not shown) such as illustrated in the patent before referred to, whereby they are successively raised and lowered during the rotation of the machine.

- Secured in the base of the tank 4 is a series of filling heads 11 of suitable construction each preferably comprising a guide 12 adjacent its lower end adapted to direct the bottlenecks into the desired relationship to a sleeve valve 14 and also into cooperative engagement with a sealing washer 15. As the bottle supports are raised dur- I10 ing the operation of the machine, the bottles are effective for lifting the outer portion of the heads through the medium of the washer 15, thereby causing the sleeve valve 14 to uncover a filling port 16 and air vent 17 in each filling tube 18. The interior of each filling tube in turn communicates with the interior of the tank so as to receive therefrom the filling material. Extending through each filling tube is a vent tube 19 having the inlet port 1'7, before referred to, at its lower end communicating with the interior of the container being filled. Each vent tube at its upper end has a fluid connection 20 with a pressure chamber'21 in a manifold 22. The number of chambers 21 corresponds to-the number of filling heads, each head thus being individually connected to a separate chamber. The manifold 22 is adjustably supported from the tank 4 through the medium of radially extending arms 23 bolted 'to the manifold as indicated at 24. By reason of this construction the entire manifold is caused to rotate in unison with the rotation of the tank.

Projecting inwardly from the manifold 22 is an annular seat 25 having its upper and lower surfaces machined. Engaging the upper surface is a shoe 26, a second shoe 2'? cooperating with the under surface and being extended so as to form a bottom closure for the chambers 21 as the rotation of the manifold successively brings such chambers over the bottom shoe. Interconnecting the shoes 26 and 27 are pressure spring assemblies 28 continuously maintaining the desired relationship between the parts.

Provided for the tank 4 is a cover 29 carrying a separate center portion 30 secured to a supply pipe 31. This supply pipe is non-rotatable, and is carried by a bracket 32 secured to the upper end of a suitable support 33. Clamped around the supply pipe 31 is a collar 34 projecting from diametrically opposite sides of which are arms 35. These arms are shaped at their outer ends to engage in suitable recesses 36 in the shoe 26, and thus hold the two shoes 26 and 27 against rotation with the manifold.

Formed in the bottom shoe 27 is a chamber 37 with which communicates a nipple 38. This nipple is connected by means of a flexible hose 39 to a line 40. As is apparent more particularly from Figure 3 of the drawings, the chamber 37 has a port 41 extending upwardly through the upper wall thereof and adapted to communicate with a chamber 21, this communication being either directly established, or established and m ntained for the desired time interval by a slo or groove 41'. Each chamber 21 intermediate the connection 20 and the port 41 is provided with a baflle 44 extending to the bottom of the manifold and providing a connecting passage 45 at its extreme upper portion.

The line 40 is provided with a control valve 46 normally held in open position by a spring 47, but adapted to be closed by the rotative movement of a lever 48 in clockwise direction. This lever cooperates with a connecting rod 49 extending to the control clutch for the machine whereby when the clutch is disengaged the lever 48 will be rocked in a clockwise direction to close the valve 46. The valve in turn has a connection 50 to either a source of pressure or a source of vacuum herein illustrated as comprising a pump 51.

For purposes of illustration of the manner of operation of the invention, it will befirst assumed that the machine is to be operated as a vacuum filling machine. Under such conditions, the pump 51 will be a vacuum pump and will be effective through the chamber 37 in the bottom shoe 2'! for successively and progressively creating a vacuum in the chambers 21 as the slot 41' comes into underlying relationship to the chambers. Such a relationship is illustrated in Figure 3. At this time the vacuum will be transmitted from the pump through chamber 37, port 41 and slot 41' to the chamber 21 and thus to the vent 18. This vacuum is effective not only for cleaning the vent so as to insure the subsequent free passage of air therethrough, but also for evacuating the container and thereby facilitating the gravity feed of material into the container.

In case the vent contains an appreciable amount of material from a preceding filling operation, this material is prevented from being drawn into the pump connections, by means of the baiile 44- inasmuch as the material may be drawn into the chamber 21 which functions as a sump and may be filled up to the level of the port 45 before any of it is sucked into the chamber 37. The capacity of the chambers 21 is made such, with respect to the size of the vent tube, that the desired operation is insured. The vacuum may thereafter be continued for the desired time interval, after which it is cut off and the filling continued by gravity, the filling being automatically stopped at such time as the material within the container rises to such a point as to cut off communication with the vent tube 19 and thus automatically preclude further filling.

As the rotation of the parts continues, the chamber 21 which was previously under vacuum, passes out of engagement with the shoe 27, thus opening its bottom lower end to the interior of 3110 the tank into which any liquid contents will be immediately discharged. At the same time, a succeeding chamber will come into operative relationship with the port 41, and the preceding cycle will be repeated.

Reference has heretofore been made as to the desirability, under certain cases, of initiating a filling operation by the application of pressure. In such cases the manifold 22 serves as a pressure manifold, the pump 51, by reversing its connections, serving as a pressure pump for supplying the desired pressure fiuid. The shoe 27 is so ad- J'usted that it will close one of the chambers 21 at the desired time and supply a pressure blast effective for cleaning the vent tube. Thereafter the slot 41 will pass out of communication with such chamber 21 and the filling will be continued by gravity. At the conclusion of the gravity. filling, a second blast of air may be applied in the same manner for further cleaning the vent 113p tube.

On the other hand, the application of pressure may, if desired, be followed by the application of vacuum and the filling thereafter effected by gravity. An arrangement of ports and slots for doing this is shown in Figs. 8 and 9, the manifold shown in these figures being identical with the manfold shown in Figs. 5 and 7 if desired. The bottom shoe 27a is formed with a pressure chamber 56 and a suction chamber 57. With the chamber 56 communicates a nipple 58 connected by means of a. flexible hose to a pressure line, and with the chamber 57 communicates a nipple 59 connected by means of a second flexible hose to a vacuum line, these lines leading to sources of pressure and vacuum in the conventional manner. The chamber 56 has a port 60 extending upwardly through the upper wall thereof and adapted to communicate directly with a chamber 21. The chamber 57 has a port 150 61 extending upwardly through the upper wall thereof and adapted to communicate with a chamber 21 by way of a slot '82. It will be ap parent that as the tank carrying the manifold rotates in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 8, the successive chambers 21 are each subjected to pressure through the port 61, then to suction by way of the slot 62, and each passes in succession out of engagement with the shoe 2'1,

The difi'erent characteristic conditions are obtained by the size of the shoe 37 and the number of ports provided as well as by the length and location ofthe slots41'. The arcuate extent of the shoe 27 enables the maintenance of either a suction or a pressure in any given chamber for any desired time interval.

By providing a manifold disposed centrally within the tank, and adapted to discharge any of its contents directly into the tank, any tendency toward wasting of the filling materials or sloppiness by reason of withdrawal exteriorly of the tank is precluded. Should it be desired to stop the machine for any purpose, the act of throwing the clutch will be effective for closing the valve 46, thereby cutting off the manifold either from continued pressure or suction such as would tend to completely fill a given chamber 21 with the filling contents.

To those skilled in the art it will be apparent that no special provision need be made for the automatic emptying of the chambers 21. The invention also obviates the necessity for the provision of a complicated check valve system such as heretofore provided to prevent the passage of the filling material into the pump system. This automatic emptying of the chambers 21 makes possible an initial vacuum filling followed by gravity, or an initial pressure filling followed by either vacuum or gravity and concluding either with the gravity filling or with a subsequent pressure application.

It is desirable, inasmuch as the machine is of the gravity filling type, to provide a'substantially.

constant head of filling material 52 within the tank4. For this purpose, I have illustrated the supply pipe 31 as adapted to cooperate with a fioat 53 disposed directly within the material. The central portion of the float constitutes a sleeve valve 54 cooperating with ports 55 in the supply tube. As soon as the liquid level rises to a predetermined height, the float will move the sleeve valve, 54 into position to cut off the further infiow of material, thus serving to maintain at all times a substantially constant level condition.

It will be apparent that the terms "air flow and pressure condition, or equivalent terms as hereinafter used in the claims are generic terms including either a flow such as obtained by a sub-atmospheric pressure or a super-atmospheric pressure and that the term pressure condition includes within its scope either a sub-atmospheric or asuper-atmospheric pressure, the terms being definitive of either a vacuum or a pressure filling' condition.

While-Lhave herein illustrated the invention in combination with a rotary filling machine of a particular type, it will be understood that the principle of the invention is applicable toother types of'machines, without departing either from the spirit thereof or the scope of my broader .claims.

I claim: I

1. In a filling machine, atank, a series of filling tubes supplied thereby in a cycle, a vent tube 'machine todrain into said tank.

for each filling tube, and means for connecting each of said vent tubes to an air fiow producing means, said connecting means including for each vent tube a sump opening during the cycle of the 8.0

2. In a filling machine, a tank, a seriesof filling tubes supplied thereby, a venttube for each filling tube, and means within said tank for connecting each of said vent tubes to an air fiow producing means, said first-mentioned means including a manifold having a series of successively operable downwardly opening self-emptying chambers formed therein, and means adapted to successively cooperate with said chambers for closing the open bottoms thereof.

3. In a filling machine, a tank, a plurality of filling tubes connected thereto, a manifold for. controlling venting of the containers being filled through said tubes, said manifold beingcarried by said tank for rotation therewith and including a plurality of sumps normally free to drain into said tank, and means for successively closing and creating in each of said sumps the desired pressure condition. 7

4. In a filling machine, a rotatable tank, a series of filling tubes operatively connected to said tank, an air vent in each tube, a manifold within said tank having a plurality of downwardly opening chambers, a connection between each vent tube and one of said chambers, and means cooperating with. said manifold for successively closing said chambers and creating a desired pressure condition therein.

5. In a filling machine, a tank, a plurality of filling tubes connected thereto and receiving filling material therefrom, a vent tube for each filling tube, and valve .means for successively subjecting said vent tubes to a predetermined pressure condition, said valve means including a sump intermittently draining into said tank.

8. In a filling machine, a tank, a manifold carried by said tank and located therein and substantially concentrically thereof, said manifold including a plurality of downwardly opening chambers, and means adapted to successively cooperate with said chambers for closing the open lower ends thereof and producing a predetermined pressure condition therein, and then uncovering such lower ends.

7. In a filling machine, a tank, a manifold carried by said tank and located therein and substantially concentrically thereof. said manifold including a plurality of downwardly opening chambers, and means comprising a shoe for producing a predetermined pressure condition in said chambers successively, said tank being mounted for rotation relative to the shoe to effect cooperation between said shoeand the bottoms of said chambers to close them successively.

8. In a filling machine, a tank, a manifold carried by said tank and located therein and substantially concentrically thereof, said manifold including a plurality of downwardly opening chambers, and means adapted to successively cooperate with said chambers for producing a predetermined pressure condition therein, each of said chambers including a baflie serving as a temporary confining means within the chamber.

9. In a filling machine, a tank, a' plurality of filling heads receiving filling material from said 3 tank, a vent tube for each head, and means for producing a vacuum in said vent tubes, said means including sump chambers adapted to disfilling heads receiving filling material from said comprising a plurality of individual chambers within the. annulus open at their bottom ends,

means for successively covering and uncovering 'said chambers, and a pipe projecting upwardly through the eye of said annulus for producing a predetermined pressure condition therein.

12. In a filling machine, a manifold comprising a plurality of individual chambers open at their bottom ends, and means for successively closing said chambers and producing a predetermined pressure condition therein, each of said chambers having a material retaining baffle disposed therein.

13. In a filling machine, a tank, a plurality of filling heads connected thereto to receive material therefrom for filling purposes, a vent tube for each head, a manifold, a separate connection between each vent tube and said manifold, and valve means cooperating with said manifold for controlling air flow relative to said vent tubes successively, said manifold comprising a sump chamber for each vent tube having said connection with the vent tube at one end, a discharge connection at the other end, and a baflie intermediate the two connections '14. In a filling machine, a tank, a supply tube 'for filling material projecting downwardly into ,said tank, an annular manifold surrounding said supply tube and having a plurality of liquid receiving downwardly opening chambers, a pressure shoe held against rotation by said tube and cooperating with said manifold for successively covering and uncovering said chambers, filling heads supplied by said tank, and connections between each of said heads and a separate chamber in said manifold.

15. In the method of filling containers, the steps comprising applying pressure to the containers, thereafter applying vacuum for facilitating a feeding operation, and thereafter continuing the, feeding operation by gravity.

16. In a filling machine, a tank, an annular manifold within and substantially concentric with said tank, said manifold having an inwardly directed flange, and spring pressed means cooperating with said flange and including a shoe adapted to underlie said manifold.

17. In a filling machine, a tank, an annular manifold within and substantially concentric with said tank, said manifold having an inwardly directed flange, and springpressed means cooperating with said flange and including a shoe adapted to underlie said manifold, said manifold providing a plurality of separate downwardly opening chambers of such size as to be successively covered and uncovered by said shoe.

JESSE E. WEAVER. 

